Legendary Polish jazz musician, composer and arranger, Michał Urbaniak, has died at the age of 82.
The pioneering Polish jazz musician Michał Urbaniak died on 20 December aged 82. His wife, Dorota Dosia Urbaniak, announced his death on social media, writing that ‘he lived and expressed himself through music’.
Widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of Polish jazz, Urbaniak was born in Warsaw, Poland, on 22 January 1943 and grew up in Łódź, where he taught himself the alto saxophone and formally studied the violin, continuing his studies in Warsaw in the class of Tadeusz Wroński from 1961.
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He began playing in jazz clubs as a teenager. He first toured to the US in 1962, where he made his international debut. In 1968, he released his debut album, Urbaniak’s Orchestra. He was awarded the Grand Prix for best soloist at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1971. He settled permanently in New York, US, in 1973, becoming a US citizen.
Throughout his career, Urbaniak performed and recorded with musicians including Chick Corea, Elvin Jones and the band Weather Report. He also composed film scores, winning several awards in Poland.
He played a custom-designed five-string electric violin, built to his own specifications.
Tributes for Urbaniak have come from many different places.
Warsaw’s Mayor, Rafał Trzaskowski, wrote on X: “Michał Urbaniak conquered Europe, and then the world, when others dared not,” pointing out that he was one of the few Poles to co-create the modern American jazz music scene.
Prominent Polish rock singer Małgorzata Ostrowska wrote: “What a sad time… I met Michał in New York, in 1986. It was an extraordinary concert ‘Polish Extravaganza’ – Polish artists from behind the Iron Curtain performed at the legendary Studio 54 in New York.”
“It was there that Michał offered to write songs for me. And he wrote. ‘It’s Just Words’ and ‘Crystal Clear’ were created. Some time ago Michał suggested refreshing them… We didn’t have time. That leaves memory, music and gratitude.”
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